Cherrapunji
The road to Cherrapunji through the East Khasi Hills winds through dense pine and oak forests, full of ferns and orchids. En route are dramaric gorges and ravines, eaterfalls and limestone caves.Along the way you may see some plateaus dotted with stone megaliths. These commemorate some good people for their works in the community or some special achievements. The road also passes through a quaint village called ’the village of small people'.
Cheerapunji is one of the wettest places on earth. It continues to record an average rainfall of 1,143 cm in the monsoon months July to September. Rain and fog are constant here and give the place a certain melancholy beauty. And when the sun actually comes out, it is worth the effort to come here as the incredible scenery is revealed.
Cherrapunji and its surroundings also have curious living bridges'. Living ficus elastica tree-roots, a rubber tree with its strong aerial roots, are bent and guided ingeneously across a stream/river and in a span of ten to fifteen years the bridge is ready to cross!. across a narrow stream to form a bridge to cross it. These Tolkienesque root-bridges’ can last a long time and are incredibly sturdy.
It is worthwhile to descend 14 km down the narrow road to Mashamok for views back up to the falls and cliffs. Few places in the North East are more scenic.
Trek to the living root bridges
The trek to the living root bridges takes approximately 5 hours for the round trip. Guides are available at Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort for a fixed charge of Rs 600/-. It is possible to do the trek without a guide, as there is some rudimentary signposting on the paths, but it is not advisable in case of accidents/vertigo, etc.You first drive 5km from Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort to the trailhead. Then walk down approximately 2000 well made concrete steps into the valley. From the village at the bottom, where there is a simple homestay and a couple of rudimentary shops, one path heads right for about 15 minutes to a spectacular single root bridge. Another undulating path heads left for about 45 minutes across 2 modern wire suspension bridges to the even more spectacular “double deck” root bridge. There are small swimming pools in the river here, and some large ones a further 30 minutes uphill walk beyond here.
There is an “entry” fee of Rs 10 per person, plus Rs20 for cameras. Then retrace your steps to the village, and back up the 2000 steps to the trailhead, where the car and driver are waiting.
